When Abby Dobson appeared on The Voice a few weeks back it proved that judges Delta Goodrem, Seal, Joel Madden and Ricky Martin couldn’t pick a hit voice when it was presented to them.
Abby Dobson photo by Ros O'Gorman
Every judge on the Australian version of the reality TV show The Voice failed to acknowledge Abby’s talents and she was ejected from the show.
This week Abby’s hit song ‘Even When I’m Sleeping’ is back on the ARIA singles chart at no. 45 and on the Australian Artist singles chart at no. 7.
The song was the 1998 APRA Song of the Year.
Abby performed Aretha Franklin’s ‘Do Right Woman Do Right Man’ on The Voice. Everyone of the judges passed on her performance.
Seal, Ricky Martin and Joel Madden would have had no idea who she was but Delta should have known better. “I still feel like it’s familiar to me, would I know it from somewhere?,” Delta asked after the performance.
When Abby revealed she was in Leonardo’s Bride, Delta responded, “I knew it. What was the hit?”.
The Voice has been a poorly initiated attempt to portray new Australian talent this year. All four judges have shown they are incapable of measuring the pulse of the Australian public and have an even poorer grasp recognizing talent.
The show itself if a mess of inexperienced and experienced contestants thrown together and the judges over-compensating reactions for each performance with what appears to be a text-book of clichés that rarely match the feel.
The talent of Abby Dobson may be undetectable to likes of Delta, Joel, Ricky and Seal but the Australian public have made her song at hit again this week, 15 years after it was Song of the Year.
